Coastal creativity; Norfolk’s thriving craft and printmaking scene

From the beauty of rural villages lined with pretty flint cottages to its beaches and big skies, Norfolk has a lot to offer creatives looking for inspiration. It’s been many years since my last visit but last week I was back on the Norfolk coast on holiday and was thrilled to discover work from so many different makers and creatives.

We stayed in the Georgian town of Holt, about 10 minutes inland from the coastal towns of Blakeney and Cley next the Sea. I discovered Make Holt whilst mooching around the town and it has to be right up there with my favourite shops…ever! It stocks beautiful hand crafted objects for the home, all made by over 50 independent makers from Norfolk and nearby. It’s fantastic to see independent makers having the opportunity to showcase their work in a permanent retail setting right in the middle of such a popular town. The whole shop has been beautifully curated is well worth a visit.

I also visited Bircham Gallery whilst in Holt (birchamgallery.co.uk). It was showcasing some great artwork, from young emerging artists to well established ones and had a wide range of work priced for most budgets. I spied a great little book called Norfolk Gems - 44 Printmakers Explore the County which is an amazing resource containing more than 270 prints of more than 40 Norfolk locations. The gallery also stocked Khadi handmade paper which I can’t wait to print on!

Quay Art in Blakeney (quayartgallery.com) and The Birdscapes Gallery at Glandford (birdscapes.co.uk) also had some fantastic prints to check out if you’re in the area. Here’s some work from local linocut printmakers Niki Bowers, Robert Gillmor and Rob Barnes that caught my eye.

Images ©Niki Bowers

Images ©Robert Gillmor

Images ©Rob Barnes

Jen x